


We made it this far

by Semi-Phan (Paneorama)



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Actually they all need a hug, Angst with a Happy Ending, Band References, Cinnamon Roll Papyrus, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Feelings, Frisk Needs A Hug, Gen, Genderfluid Frisk, Light Angst, My First AO3 Post, Papyrus Knows More Than He Lets On, idk if anybody has done this yet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-23
Updated: 2016-09-23
Packaged: 2018-08-16 18:06:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8112172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Paneorama/pseuds/Semi-Phan
Summary: Frisk has seen this all before. They know every move from here and a few months forward. The familiar crunching in the grass indicates that Sans is on his way up the hill, to beg them not to reset.
Frisk didn't expect Papyrus to sit down beside them.
Frisk didn't expect this at all.





	

**Author's Note:**

> And I will say that we should take a day to break away  
> From all the pain our brain has made  
> The game is not played alone

Frisk knew what would happen now.

They'd broken the barrier, everyone was free and happy, but Sans didn't really smile.

After hundreds upon hundreds of different resets and routes, Frisk knew he never really did. 

Except, he did smile when Papyrus ran off on a new crusade. He buried his head deeper in his worn hoodie and grinned fondly at his brother. He smiled whenever Toriel cracked a pun, or when Alphys became flustered. But he never smiled at Frisk. They understood why. They knew they didn’t deserve it.

He’d smiled once, though. The first time Frisk ‘saved’ them, the first time he followed them up the steep hill and begged them not to reset, and Frisk had promised, and suddenly it was as if everything that had ever gotten him down was blown away under the soft glow of the sky.

So when Sans one day woke up in his old house in Snowdin, he blinked.

Waited.

Panic raced through his bones, because he knew he’d gone to sleep in the new apartment on the surface, he knew and _Frisk had promised they’d promised to never do this again why was he here he was trapped betrayed terrified broken no Frisk wouldn’t do that they wouldn’t no nonono-_

When Frisk came walking through the doors, Sans played along, but he never grinned at them again.

So, as Frisk sat in the grass on the hill, staring out at the soft sunlight burying itself beneath the hills, they heard footsteps and they tensed because they had no other choice than to promise when they couldn’t know, didn’t have a say; the resets wasn’t their choice anymore. At least they didn’t think so. When the nightmares and regrets became too much and too many the resets sort of happened and Frisk wanted to fight that, they really did, but determination was only that much in a world where it’s used against you.

When Frisk turned their head, they were surprised, to say the least. They had expected Sans, with his not-smile and his silent begging and the fear in his eyes.

They hadn’t expected Papyrus.

But there he was anyways. Sitting down with a long sigh, gripping his red scarf like it was the only thing left in the world of value. There was a seriousness present on his face that Frisk had never seen before.

“Sans usually comes up here, doesn’t he?” Papyrus said. Frisk stared at him. “He told me everything. Well, he tried. I know there are things he’s left out, because I remember too. Not as much, or as vividly, but there are… pictures. Images of blood, and knives, and a lot of things that were before it all started all over again. At first, I didn’t know what they meant, but I suspected Sans dreamed of those things too. Now, he’s filled me in on why everything we do feels like déjà vu.”

Papyrus hesitated, and Frisk swallowed down fear. If Sans had said everything, there was a good chance Papyrus wouldn’t be forgiving. They didn’t deserve mercy after everything that had happened, they knew that.

“He, um, he told me about you. About… what you’ve done, what you can do. I guess now I know why he’s so overprotective.”

Frisk felt tears brimming in their eyes. He knows what they’d done. Hearing it from Papyrus was a thousand times worse than hearing it from Sans, or from the little voice in their head, or Flowey, or anybody. Papyrus, who wouldn’t hurt a fly, he knew that they had done all of these horrible things and Frisk knew that if they were in his position they’d never forgive Frisk.

“I just wanted to let you know that what you did in the past doesn’t matter to me, Frisk. I don’t think you’re a bad person, you’ve just made bad choices. Everybody does that. Sans lies and tries to keep me unknowing all the time, even though he’s really bad at it. I still love him. Even I make mistakes. The point is that you’ve got to know that what you’ve done doesn’t define you, or decide what you can do in the future.”

Frisk teared their eyes away from Papyrus and ran an arm across their eyes, wiping away the tears that had fallen.

“I forgive you, Frisk.”

“How can you know I won’t just make everything worse?” Frisk mumbled.

Papyrus looked at Frisk with something undefinable in his eyes. He gently extended an arm and pulled them in for a hug, placing his head on top of theirs.

“Because I’m not stupid, Frisk. I can see that you regret everything bad you’ve done. And, I wanted to ask you a favor.” Papyrus took a deep breath. “I know Sans usually says this, but, no more resets, okay?”

Papyrus pulled away, staring Frisk right in the eye. Frisk was biting their lip, trying their hardest not to cry, because they wouldn’t be weak, they couldn’t. Papyrus had desperation in his eyes, something Frisk had never seen before. This night was full of surprises.

“Please,” he begged. “I usually can’t remember the resets, but they’ve done enough damage. I can barely remember a time when my brother didn’t have that stupid smile plastered over his face like a mask. I have to wake him up from nightmares at least thrice a week- I have nightmares of my own more than I’d like to admit. When you reset, I wake up in my bed in Snowdin, I blink, and everything is back to where it once was. The barrier isn’t broken and I can’t remember ever being up here but it still feels like I’ve done the same days over and over again.

Up here, Sans actually tries again. He doesn’t slack off on his job, he doesn’t make excuses, he opens up and lives and that’s the brother I want back. Everybody is happy up here. I’m not blaming anything on you, Frisk, but we’ve made it so far, I promise that I will do everything in my power to help you because I can see that you’re terrified but _please, no more resets._ ”

And both Frisk and Papyrus are crying freely by now, and Frisk launches towards Papyrus and buries their head in his soft scarf and sobs out a small, genuine “I’m sorry, I promise there will be no more resets ever again I’m sorry I’m so so sorry”

Papyrus believes them and he chuckles because finally they will all get what they deserve and nobody will ever be sad or afraid because of the underground ever again.

Sans runs up the hill because he heard them both crying and Frisk hugs him too and in between breaths and sobs they both explain, and the faint lines that stained his cheeks became new again as the three of them laughed and cried and fell asleep beneath the stars they all had longed for.

And it worked.

For months, the three of them were still terrified of the possibility that it’d all become too much, that they’d wake up and not be in the small apartment that now was their new home. But every night Frisk was at the end of their rope they came into Papyrus’s room and he’d open the cover for Frisk to climb into the bed while drowsily mumbling reassurances and Frisk would sleep without fear.

Eventually, they all loosened up. 

Eventually they all healed.

Before anyone knew it, the surface had become their home for real.

**Author's Note:**

> And I will say that we should take a moment  
> And hold it  
> And keep it frozen  
> And know life has a hopeful undertone
> 
> (I had a sad ending for this as well but I decided to not hate myself haha)


End file.
